I am curious because some people consider anything prior to the year 2000, others will say anything before the Xbox 360/PS 3, and then some will say anything that is not considered the current platform. I'd like to think that retro gaming stops around 1996 because I don't view the N64 as a retro console. Am I wrong?

I'd say at this point everything up to Dreamcast should count. As time carries on the list will keep growing but I can't really consider something only a couple of console generations back "retro" just yet. Some people even try to include 360 citing the fact that it is over a decade old but it's still getting games. PS2 had its last release only a few years back. I think it takes some digging to be retro, not just not being new.

[QUOTE="Bomby, post: 1622966, member: 17840"]When I think retro, I personally think of anything from the SNES/Genesis generation of consoles (4th gen) or older.[/QUOTE]
That is kind of what I was thinking. So this means that anything as of the N64 and beyond are not considered 4th gen... At east according to wiki anyways. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_ge ... e_consoles

[QUOTE="I REALLY HATE POKEMON!, post: 1622968, member: 18119"]I'd say at this point everything up to Dreamcast should count. As time carries on the list will keep growing but I can't really consider something only a couple of console generations back "retro" just yet. Some people even try to include 360 citing the fact that it is over a decade old but it's still getting games. PS2 had its last release only a few years back. I think it takes some digging to be retro, not just not being new.[/QUOTE]

Yeah like if you can still buy the console and the games relatively easily, then I don't think it is old enough.
Also, some people will take in to account the graphics as well. I mean to me, retro means retro graphics as well.

There's a difference in the companies and the trends in the industry. Once the GCN/Xbox/PS2 were secured in their positions, game design started to solidify and iterate more in singular directions. Prior to this generations, the players were different and the marketing was different. I think it's mostly a post-communication thing as the internet going mainstream and programming teams growing larger and becoming very structured hierarchal systems changed the creation and feedback process drastically.

I muttered 'light as a board, stiff as a feather' for 2 days straight and now I've ascended, ;aughing at olympus and zeus is crying

I pretty much consider anything older than 10 years to be retro. That includes the Wii at this point, which seems insane, but then I think about it and it makes sense. Wii Sports and the rest of the early Wii lineup does indeed feel retro to me.

[QUOTE="Marilink, post: 1623217, member: 23215"]I pretty much consider anything older than 10 years to be retro. That includes the Wii at this point, which seems insane, but then I think about it and it makes sense. Wii Sports and the rest of the early Wii lineup does indeed feel retro to me.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, at this point there's now 'early 3D retro' which cuts off around the early Wii games, and there's 'classic era retro' which is basically 2D gaming from the 90s backwards in terms of style.

I muttered 'light as a board, stiff as a feather' for 2 days straight and now I've ascended, ;aughing at olympus and zeus is crying

I really don't feel like ten years should be enough to classify something as retro. Just because the pace at which things grow in the video game industry is -whoa- doesn't seem like a good reason to consider a console to be retro once it stops getting new releases.

^ Yeah, think of music or movies and what's called "oldies" or "classics." It tends to be 60's-80's. I don't think anyone calls Katie Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" an oldie just because it's almost 10 years old now.

[QUOTE="I REALLY HATE POKEMON!, post: 1623996, member: 18119"]^ Yeah, think of music or movies and what's called "oldies" or "classics." It tends to be 60's-80's. I don't think anyone calls Katie Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" an oldie just because it's almost 10 years old now.[/QUOTE]

I consider anything Fifth Generation and lower to be retro. Though sixth generation is getting there, especially when you go back to play them. The consoles and their lack of compatibility with some televisions really shows off their age.